Baby shower for grandma?

Monica Beyer is a mom of four and has been writing professionally since 2000, when her first book, Baby Talk, was published. Her main area of interest is attachment parenting and all that goes with it, including breastfeeding, co-sleepin...

However, is it appropriate for a grandma-to-be to throw (or be given) her own baby shower? These moms weigh in.

Over the top

Quite a few moms felt that the idea was ridiculous — and that it takes away from the mom-to-be. “I personally feel like it's an attention grabber thing,” shared Niki, mom of one. “They had their baby showers when they had kids… it's the mom-to-be's turn. If Granny's friends want to give gifts, have a shower for the mom-to-be, or just send gifts. Granny had her moment in the spotlight.”

Jo, mom of one, had similar thoughts. “Had my mother-in-law known such things existed she would have been all over throwing herself a shower,” she told us. “A friend threw me a shower when pregnant with my first — and I still have to say it was one of the few times being pregnant that I felt it was all about me and the baby.”

Tiffany, mom of one, had a baby shower of her own, but thinking back, it seems more like a “grandma shower” to her. “I had something along those lines,” she explained. “It wasn't as obvious as that, but when I was pregnant, Lars' mother and all her extended family and friends — whom I'd never met — threw ‘me’ a shower. It seemed clearly more about celebrating her becoming a grandma, but we got the gifts. To this day I've never seen most of those people again.”

It could work

Others thought that it is OK and even cute, but this really depended on a few factors. Brittney, mom of two, said that a shower might totally work for certain situations. “We don't really rely on our folks for child care, but I know people (mostly friends that got pregnant in high school, and some others, like single dads) that rely on their parents for child care on a very regular basis, and I know grandmas that come and get their grandkids on a very regular basis — just because. In these situations I think it could be cute and beneficial,”

“For a first-time grandma?” pondered Taryn, mom of two. “I don't think it's that weird. My mom had everything at her house that I had at mine — playpen, car seat, clothes and so on. And although she didn't have a 'shower,' I could see friends of hers throwing her a little luncheon with little presents and stuff.”

Having a baby is a very special time for the parents-to-be, but it’s also extremely exciting for the grandma-to-be. It’s understandable that the future grandma wants to celebrate the new addition to her family, but aside from special circumstances, moms agree that baby showers for grandmas are a bit over the top.